Joh, Mills Share Opening Lead At Qualifying Tournament

WINTER HAVEN, Fla., Nov. 2, 2009 - A pair of Duramed FUTURES Tour rookies grabbed the first-round lead in the start of today's 11th annual Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament. Tiffany Joh of San Diego and Danielle Mills of Pointe-Claire, Quebec each carded rounds of five-under-par 67.

Joh, a former All-American at UCLA, opened her week at Lake Region Yacht & Country Club, while Mills, who just graduated in May from Elon University (N.C.), played today's round at Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club. Four courses are being used in this week's qualifier.

"I'm pretty stoked because I was just trying to shoot even-par or better," said Joh, 22, a two-time winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, who launched her professional career this summer. "I was pretty nervous this morning and it was a very quiet 40-minute car ride to get here."

But Joh let her putter do the talking today, needing only 26 putts for her round that included six birdies and one bogey. Her iron play also was steady, allowing the former U.S. Curtis Cupper to play the course's five par-3s at four under.

Mills hit 14 greens in regulation and needed only 28 putts in her round that was highlighted by seven birdies and two bogeys. Like Joh, the Canadian graduated in May, but played amateur golf until August. A rookie on the LPGA's developmental tour, Mills got into three Duramed FUTURES Tour events this year, with a season-best tie for 18^th in Albany, N.Y.

"This is my second time at this Q-School and now I know what it's all about," said Mills, 22, the 2007 Quebec Women's Match Play Provincial Championship winner. "It's great to get off to a good start and today was a pleasant day, but there are four rounds left."

Amateur Laura Kueny of Whitehall, Mich., and recent Georgetown University graduate Chelsea Curtis of New Seabury, Mass., are tied one shot off the lead at 4-under 68. Kueny carded her round at Ridgewood Lakes, while Curtis posted her round at The Golf Club at Bridgewater.

"My putter was hot today," said Kueny, 21, a senior at Michigan State University, who recorded 28 putts in her round. "I felt good over the ball all day, so I just tried not to get ahead of myself or think about my score."

Curtis was particularly pleased in her "first time around" at qualifying. She didn't turn professional until the first week of October, finishing third in the New England Open and seventh in the Maryland Open to get ready for this week's Q-School. She got the ball rolling with a 35-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole, and then holed out from a greenside bunker on the 16^th hole for two of her six birdies today. The New Englander also hit nine approach shots within 15 feet for birdie opportunities.

"I was knocking down a good amount of pins today," said Curtis, 22, who was bogey-free on her front nine holes. "But I was really happy with being able to control my nerves and stay patient. This is a long week."

Eight players are tied at 3-under 69, including Stephanie Connelly of Pasadena, Md., who was the medalist at the recent LPGA Sectional Tournament in Venice, Fla. A rookie on the Duramed FUTURES Tour this summer after graduating from the University of Central Florida, Connelly has advanced into the LPGA's Final Qualifying Tournament. And like Joh, who also qualified for the LPGA Q-School Finals, she is using this week's five-round Q-school as a tune-up for the LPGA's final stage next month.

"After winning the sectional, I gained a lot of confidence and experience," said Connelly, 22, who recorded four birdies and one bogey today. "I certainly want to win this tournament, but I've never played five days of stroke play. This is good preparation for LPGA Q-School Finals. I'm still a young professional and I have lots to learn."

A total of 37 players scored under par today, while 56 players posted scores of even-par 72 or better in the opening round of this year's Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament.

A field of 287 players from 38 nations is competing in Central Florida this week on four courses for 2010 Duramed FUTURES Tour playing status. The 90-hole tournament will continue on Tuesday at Winter Haven's Lake Region Yacht & Country Club, Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club in Davenport, Fla., and Lakeland's Huntington Hills Golf & Country Club and The Golf Club at Bridgewater.

A tournament cut will be made after 72 holes. The cut field of 90 players and ties will return to Lake Region only for the final round on Friday.

Tuesday's second round will begin at 8 a.m., off the first and 10^th tees at each of the four courses.

For scores and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com .

Weather: Partly cloudy with a slight breeze. Temperatures in the low-80s.

Stephanie Smith Scores Ace In Q-School

Amateur Stephanie Smith of The Woodlands, Texas, scored a hole-in-one in today's first round of the Duramed FUTURES Tour's 2010 Qualifying Tournament. Playing at The Golf Club at Bridgewater, Smith holed out her tee shot on the 145-yard, par-3 ninth hole. It was her second ace and her first hole-in-one in competition. Watch her interview on YouTube.com/Road2LPGA.

Players Have Chance Encounter With Hip-Hop Star

Grace Woo of Los Angeles wasn't having much of a 22^nd birthday celebration last weekend as she and good pal Elena Kurokawa of Redondo Beach, Calif., squeezed in their final practice rounds for this week's Duramed FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament. In fact, they had stopped at a RaceTrac gas station in Lakeland, Fla., to fill up their rented Chevy Cobalt. That's when hip-hop recording artist "50 Cent" walked past Woo with his entourage and changed the golfer's day.

"We finished filling up the gas tank and Grace said, 'No way, that was 50 cent!'" laughed Kurokawa, 25, a current Duramed FUTURES Tour member who played college golf with Woo at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. "It was so random."

So the two parked their rental car and hurried back over to the recording artist, who was talking on his mobile phone inside a GMC Yukon. Kurokawa asked if they could take a photograph with the star and one of the members of the entourage told them no, but now, through the tinted windows of his SUV, Kurokawa could see the star motioning them to come over.

The singer got out of his car while still on the phone and posed with the golfers.

"We all took a picture and after that, he grabbed us around the waist and started tickling us," said Woo. "Most of the time, celebrities just hide, but he was awesome. It was a nice surprise to bump into 50 cent in Florida during Q-School. He made my day."

Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, Duramed FUTURES Tour at (386) 214-9726 and at lisa@duramedfuturestour.com.